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EXIM INDIA PRODUCTS :

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Montreal Port
Authority & Mundra Port ink Cooperative Agreement

During its ongoing trade mission to
India, the Montreal Port Authority (MPA) has signed a Cooperative Agreement with
Mundra Port. This agreement aims to develop cooperation in marketing and
business development while sharing information on marine operations and industry
best practices.

Mundra Port is India’s largest
commercial port. A diversified facility, it handles liquid and dry bulk and more
than three million TEUs in annual container traffic. It is operated by Adani
Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSEZ), highlighted a release. Operated by
the MPA, the Port of Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and a
diversified transhipment centre that handles all types of goods.

Asia accounts for 25 per cent of the
Port of Montreal’s market and is by far the fastest growing segment. India
alone accounts for 5 per cent, yet was virtually non-existent as a market just a
few years ago. The Port of Montreal and Mundra Port both receive containerships,
notably from such major international shipping lines as MSC and Hapag-Lloyd, CMA
CGM, OOCL and Maersk. They ensure connections between ports on North America’s
East Coast and Mundra through transhipment ports in the Mediterranean.

Mundra Port belongs to the Adani
Group, a leading player in India’s transportation logistics industry and many
other segments.

Port of Antwerp
reception

The signing of the Cooperative
Agreement was followed by a reception organised in honour of the Port of
Montreal by the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, which also has a Cooperative Agreement
with the MPA. The event brought together a hundred or so players in the
transport industry. Among those present were Ms Christine St-Pierre, the Quebec
Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie; Mr Jordan Reeves,
Consul General of Canada, Mumbai; Mr Dominic Marcotte, Consul and Director of
the Quebec Government Office in Mumbai; Mr Luc Arnouts, Antwerp Port Authority
Director of International Relations; Capt. Sandeep Mehta, President of Adani
Ports and Special Economic Zone, representatives of shipping lines providing
services to Montreal, shippers, freight forwarders and representatives of the
Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI).

The MPA delegation is composed of Mr
Tony Boemi and Ms Rosetta Iacono, respectively, Vice-President and Director,
Containers, Growth and Development at the MPA, along with Mr Jeremy Masters,
Representative of the MPA in Asia, and representatives of CN and CP, the two
railway partners of the MPA.

Mr Tony Boemi said: "Asia, and
especially India, is an emerging market with enormous potential. It and the Port
of Montreal are already solidly connected, thanks to container services. This
Cooperative Agreement with Mundra Port strengthens our presence in India and
showcases the Port of Montreal’s advantages as a strategic gateway of choice
for goods destined for the North American market."

Said Mr Jordan Reeves: "The
government of Canada fully supports the Port of Montreal’s efforts as it
solidifies its position as the leading container port on Canada’s East Coast
and strengthens its trade relations with the Indian market, which is emerging
and increasingly significant."

Economic mission

The MPA is on a trade mission to
India from February 12 to 16. This mission, actively involving three members of
the MPA and representatives of its railway partners CN and CP, has stops
scheduled in Mundra and Mumbai.

The mission’s objective is to
increase the Port of Montreal’s visibility with the Indian marine transport
logistics chain. The MPA also aims to strengthen its business and cooperative
ties with Indian ports, specifically Mundra Port, with which it has reached a
cooperative and mutual assistance agreement.

Trade between India and the Port of
Montreal is growing. From 2016 to 2017, the volume of goods to and from India
rose by 40 per cent. Freight transport is provided by international container
shipping giants. A large part of this traffic transits through Mediterranean
transhipment ports, mostly in Spain, Italy and Portugal, the release said.